Development of 99mTc-labelled complexes for imaging dopamine transporters in the brain

Technetium-99m (T-1/2 = 6 h, 140 keV) is the most commonly used short-lived radionuclide for diagnostic nuclear medicine imaging. It is important from an inorganic chemistry point of view to develop novel ligands and chelation chemistry associated with this radionuclide, because many patients could potentially benefit from advances in technetium chemistry. Recent studies showed that formation of tropane derivatives containing a neutral [(TcO)-O-V](3+) N2S2 complex are useful as dopamine transporter imaging agents. These agents may be important for the imaging of patients with Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases.